Bowling

We went bowling today as a "Plan B" activity for a ski/snow-tubing day that got inclement-weathered-out. We don't often visit a bowling alley, even though the kids seem to like it just fine, so this was a fun alternative to the originally scheduled activity -- and for me personally, just maybe a better one as I'm not all that partial to snow and hours out in the cold.

We went with other families who also had been planning to be on PA slopes and we all had a really nice time. Josie bowled a lane over from ours with the teenagers, and apparently won his first two games, and then tanked the last :-) 

I think he's practicing his Rico Suave pose in this photo...

Craig and I bowled with another couple while their children and Johngideon and Montgomery shared the lane adjoining ours. (I will not elaborate on the fact that Montgomery's first trip to the line ended up with her ball bouncing down a lane next to the one on which she was bowling.)

The scoreboard further above shows the amazing final score for Craig, who has not bowled in at least two years, and then probably not for at least two years prior to that, and then the same pattern for at least a decade back. Five strikes and two spares!?! What?

Here's the final outcome of that game.  I am the score at the top :~/ ...

I told Craig afterwards that I'm going to have to choose to sit out competitive games when we're going simply for the social joy of fellowshipping with other families...I'm just too competitive in my heart. I'd much rather simply enjoy chatting and getting to know everyone better, but competitive games really bring out the tiger in me (even if I possess the self control to beat it back from public view).  Craig was not really surprised, as he's always the slightly embarrassed spouse when we've gone to our kids' (well, middle school ages and over) sporting events.  I'm that yelling cheering parent -- loudly proclaiming "encouragement" to hang in there and fight to the end! (But, in my defense, I am never the crazy referee-threatening-obscenity-yelling-parent...I am not THAT guy.) Anyway, I don't like that competitive tiger that rises up on the inside when we're supposedly just having fun, so I think in the future I'll just sit out participation in games played in settings like that.

One of the reasons Craig was so excited about his score was that my mother is an 81-year-old senior citizen bowling aficionado, who has always beaten Craig in every game we've bowled in the nearly two decades we've been married. And even though it's not been that many games, I think it still bruises his pride a little (smile). And it doesn't help that she has, on rare occasion, been known to mail him the paper scorecard from her best games in her senior league (big smile). So, needless to say, he's really looking forward to making sure she sees the scoreboard above sometime in the near future!

I forgot to get a photo before the other teenagers left, so Josie joined in this one for me.

Here's another family we were bowling next to -- I love how these outings let all ages enjoy hanging out together.

We all ate way too much bowling alley fried and greasy foods (french fried, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, pizza, hamburgers...) and spent way too many quarters on the junky toy and trinket vending machines (of which there were many), but we all had a good time and left looking forward to the next time at the lanes.  My mother's heart just hopes the college kids are in town for that one.

Much love. Take care.

Birthday Love

My Love had a birthday, and we decided to ended up stretching it out over the whole weekend, to accommodate all of the other weekend scheduling fullness a large family like ours typically encounters. Celebrating became a very nice, prolonged, yet relaxing affair, including, among other delights, breakfast at our favorite Cafe Hon's, dinner and a great movie, a special trip a week ago, a cheery video message from Job, and a couple of specifically requested practical presents. The lingering celebration was greatly enjoyed by all involved...we might just make this a new tradition.

Craig's birthday came to a fun head on Sunday evening, just as the Ravens (bay-beeeee!) game was getting started, hence all the purple attire above...well...

...except for the Gommy Girl, who generally believes princess attire is entirely appropriate for all situations.

I'd baked brownie cake layers on Friday and Maia and Gommy had done a wonderful job of frosting, stacking and decorating them on Saturday, and we actually candled, sang and ate it all a la mode on Sunday.

Yummm....

Gommy busied herself making a card for Craig, a task she relishes on any and all occasions.

Love, joy and blessings, My Love...and here's to at least 45 (or is that 54?) more wonder-filled years!

Much Love. Take Care.

 

Game Day

Craig really loves Sunday afternoons in the fall.

After church service he cooks up a veritable smorgasbord, dons his purple attire, and 

settles in to watch the BALTIMORE RAVENS kick some football butt!

CAW! CAW!

Today he even made a purple cake...

...which Gommy was only too happy to help him decorate...

...in her own special Gommy-Girl way...

...tutu required, of course.

And of course, we didn't have any difficulty finding homes for all those slices of purple cake!

And by the way, it was the Ravens all the way today, babeee...37 to 7!

 

Take Care. Much Love.

  

Dandelion Love

I think God created dandelions just to delight the hearts of young children.

Montgomery loves and can't get enough of them. She picks them carefully and carries them gently like precious treasures. Then she selects her place to blow them and huffs and puffs until every fluff-let is floating in the breeze...even in the car!

During a walk she is disappointed if she passes a spot where "somebody wished all the dandelions," and overjoyed when she happens upon a patch of grass where there are many clusters of both dandelions and their yellow flowers (I have been the beneficiary of soooo many yellow "flower bouquets" this spring).

Nevertheless, she has learned -- much to her initial shocked amazement -- that Daddy (in his quest for beautiful green weed-free grass) does not like dandelions, and so when she catches the fluff-lets floating in our front yard, runs around trying to capture them scolding "bad dandelion! bad dandelion!"

Craig is afraid our grass will end up looking something like this...

...disclaimer: this is not a picture of our yard  :o) ...but it would be if Gommy had free dandelion-love reign!

Much Love. Take Care.

Penny Power

Johngideon discovered a new fun activity recently...counting and stacking coins, well pennies to be exact. Craig and I are very encouraging of this new found interest for him, as Craig is an intentional end-of-the-day pocket dumper and we usually have jars of change in several spots throughout the house. However, we're not frequent coin rollers and only tend to get around to it a couple of times a year.

As Josiah was preparing to make an errand for a promised all time favorite meatball marinara sub, I realized I didn't have any cash in the house to give him, and I didn't at all feel like running to a bank. Then I thought... aha, the change! So I quickly rolled up some quarters and off he went! However, change rolling, I've come to find, is rather addictive, and I found myself in the study for nearly an hour, stacking and rolling coins of all denominations.

Maia joined me for awhile, as did Josiah prior to his errand. But, the one that really found the activity irresistible was Johngideon, and after we'd ploughed through all of the "silvery" coins he went on for hours counting and stacking the seemingly endless quantities of pennies. I made him stop at some point to eat, and then he was right back at it. I'll tell you, that kid is a penny-stacking virtuoso! When he moved from floor stacking to table stacking, I knew we were nearing the end, which was a good thing because he didn't seem able to stop himself until all of the pennies ended up in neat stacks  and rows.

He was very proud of his effort, as were we! Such diligence and perseverance!

It took Craig and I a few days before we got the gumption to get all of those wonderful stacks and rows in to rollers, but they eventually all made it (mostly because we needed the table space in the study...and, because the stacks became too tempting for Montgomery's destructo nature to resist!).

Now we know who to call for help when the coins start overflowing their containers...Johngideon to the rescue!!

Take care. Much love.

My Love

Since our computer system that stores most of our photos has decided to take a breather (!?!!?), I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to share a favorite close-up...that's always with me...in my phone...of my love...see that cute dimple?  ;-) 

Much Love. Take Care.